The killing of the child Mohammed al-Durrah by Israeli Occupying Forces was intentional and happened in cold blood

The live film by the photographer of the French TV France 2, Talal Abu Rahma, which showed the shooting of the child Mohammed Jamal al-Durrah, 12 years old from Al-Boreij, and his father by Israeli occupation forces, which resulted in his death and the severe injury of his father, is one of the starkest examples of the grave and blatant human rights violations of Israel against Palestinian civilians. The child and his father were sheltered behind a concrete block about 70cm high set against a wall. Despite the fact that the child and his father were crying for help, Israeli soldiers continued to shoot at them and ultimately killed the child.

This incident constitutes another crime added to the list of violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israeli occupation forces. The dramatic scene was broadcast around the world and watched by millions of people. The Israeli government had therefore no choice but to investigate the incident. As expected, the outcome of the investigation recalls past investigations of crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces; the victim bears responsibility even if it was indirect. The Israeli government does not establish that Israeli Forces were responsible for the killing, and therefore did not undertake any legal action against the perpetrator (s) of the crime.

The following is a statement under oath by Mr. Talal Abu Rahma, a photographer of the French TV France 2, to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights on October 3, 2000, giving details of what he had seen:

“I, the undersigned, Talal Hassan Abu Rahma, resident of the Gaza Strip and who bears ID no. 959852849, give my statement under oath and after having been given legal warning and choice by Lawyer Raji Sourani, on the killing of Mohammed Jamal al-Durrah and the injuring of his father Jamal al-Durrah both shot at by the Israeli Occupying Forces.

“I work as a correspondent for the French TV France 2. On September 30, 2000, as part of my duties, I was at Netzarim area from 7:00a.m reporting on the clashes. At noon, when I was about to finish work and go back to the broadcasting studio, I heard intensive shooting from all directions. At that moment, I was at the northern part of the road leading to Al-Shohada’ Junction (Netzarim Junction). I was in a position which enabled me to see and observe the Israeli military outpost at the northwest of the junction, and the two Palestinian apartment buildings located to the north of the junction. I could also see the outpost of the Palestinian National Security Forces, located south of the junction, and another Palestinian outpost 30m away, which was a temporary booth where members of Palestinian forces were resting.

“Suddenly, intensive shooting started across the road which is of 30m width. Shams Oudeh, Reuters photographer caught my attention, as he was sitting besides a man and a child (Jamal and his son Mohammed). They were all sheltering behind a concrete block. What the journalist was observing attracted my attention. I was trying to focus on the outpost of the Palestinian National Security Forces, from where shooting was directed, and at which the Israeli army was shooting, during the first minutes. Suddenly, I heard a cry of a child. Then, I focused my camera on the child Mohammed Jamal al-Durrah who was shot in his right leg. His father tried to calm, protect and cover his son with his hands and body. Sometimes, the father Jamal was raising his hands asking for help. Other details of the incident are as they were apparently shown at the film. I spent approximately 27 minutes photographing the incident which took place for 45 minutes. After the father and the child were evacuated by an ambulance to the hospital, I stayed 30-40 minutes. I could not leave the area, because all of those who were in the area, including me, were being shot at and endangered.

“Shooting started first from different sources, Israeli and Palestinian. It lasted for not more than 5 minutes. Then, it was quite clear for me that shooting was towards the child Mohammed and his father from the opposite direction to them. Intensive and intermittent shooting was directed at the two and the two outposts of the Palestinian National Security Forces. The Palestinian outposts were not a source of shooting, as shooting from inside these outposts had stopped after the first five minutes, and the child and his father were not injured then. Injuring and killing took place during the following 45 minutes.

“I can assert that shooting at the child Mohammed and his father Jamal came from the above - mentioned Israeli military outpost, as it was the only place from which shooting at the child and his father was possible. So, by logic and nature, my long experience in covering hot incidents and violent clashes, and my ability to distinguish sounds of shooting, I can confirm that the child was intentionally and in cold blood shot dead and his father injured by the Israeli army.

“On the following day of the incident, I went to Shifa Hospital in Gaza, and interviewed the father of child Mohammed Al-Durreh. The interview was videotaped and broadcast. In the interview, I asked him about his reason and circumstances of being at the place of the incident. I was the first journalist to interview him on this subject. Mr. Jamal al-Durrah said that he was going accompanied by his son Mohammed to the car market, which is about 2km away to the north of Al-Shohada’ Junction, to buy a car. He told me that he failed to buy a car, so decided to go home. He and his son took a taxi. When they got close to the junction, they could not move forward because of the clashes and shooting there. So, they got out of the taxi and tried to walk towards Al-Bureij. As shooting intensified, they sheltered behind a concrete block. Then the incident occurred. Shooting lasted for 45 minutes.

“I am a professional and specialized journalist. I have worked in this field for many years. I am committed to the principles of journalistic work, and to convey reality indiscriminately, objectively and neutrally. This is why I am a distinguished journalist. I have my own press office, and I work as a correspondent for the French TV France 2. I work also for CNN through Al-Wataneya Press Office.

“I have hereby given my testimony under oath and after being legally warned and granted the choice. I swear that all the above – mentioned statement is right and consistent with reality and law.”

Signature:

Talal Hassan Abu Rahma

Gaza, October 3, 2000

This statement was given before me and in my presence, after giving legal warning and choice, and under oath.

Twenty-eight dead, 700 wounded, as Israeli-Palestinian clashes wreck hope of Middle East peaceFrom their concrete fortress the Israeli gunners who inflicted the death that has become the symbol of these days of blood and rage, opened up with anti-tank missiles yesterday - blasting away hopes of an end to violence in the Middle East. By nightfall, the toll from four days of rioting across the West Bank and Gaza stood at 28 dead, and more than 700 wounded. The battle for Jerusalem - as the Palestinians call these clashes - had racked up the worst violence in four years, and made a martyr of a 12-year-old boy. Outside the Israeli command post at Netzarim junction, where Rami al-Dirreh, 12, spent the last terrifying moments of his life on Saturday, the renewed demand for a ceasefire by Israel's prime minister, Ehud Barak, was met with derision yesterday. Two more Palestinians were killed at the junction yesterday, and more than 40 injured. Amid angry recrimination between Mr Barak and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, the violence is spreading. Yesterday, clashes erupted for the first time in Israel proper. "A ceasefire? How can you have a ceasefire between stones and guns. It's a big joke," said Brigadier-General Osama al-Ali, who is in charge of security cooperation between Palestinian and Israeli forces. "The only possibility for ceasefire is to remove a military camp from our territory. They must take their boot off our heads." By yesterday afternoon, every Palestinian in Gaza appeared to have seen the sickening television footage of Rami's death. Hit by four bullets, he collapsed in his father's arms on Saturday, after cowering behind a concrete water butt during a gun battle between the Israelis in their armoured watchtowers and Palestinian youths. His father, who was hit by eight bullets, had waved desperately at the Israelis on the other side of the junction to let his son live. But the 15 craters in the patch of wall where they were trapped make it plain that the Israelis directed their machine guns on the pair. Rami became their target. So did the ambulance driver who was shot dead when he tried to reach the boy. "There was still some breath left in him when we reached the ambulance, but when we opened the doors, they started shooting again," Bassam al-Bilbays, who was riding with the medic, said. Which is why a day later, Gen Ali was in no mood to heed Israeli demands for a ceasefire. When the Palestinian rioters began to gather, taunting the soldiers until they exchanged rubber bullets for live rounds, he was railing against the mere presence of Israeli forces in "the belly of Palestine". The fortress, which guards the approach to the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, in the middle of Gaza, is a symbol for the frustrations of Palestinian self-rule, and a regular source of friction. A soldier was killed here last week, a prelude to the explosion of fury that followed Thursday's visit to a sacred Muslim site by the hardline Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. Palestinians saw his visit as a symbol of Israel's claims to their holiest shrine, the Haram al-Sharif, where the Prophet Mohammed rode to heaven. They see the fortress at Netzarim as a symbol of the fact that there is no sign of peace, or of a Palestinian state. "We see our kids dying and we can not help them," Gen Ali raged. "They [the Israelis] are terrorists. Even though they are wearing army uniforms, that is exactly what they are." The protests have cast a powerful spell on the young. Yesterday children as young as six and eight set up roadblocks of burning tyres on roads in Gaza. A few days ago, in Rami's breeze block and corrugated tin-roofed home in the Bourij refugee camp, he was mesmerised by footage of the riots on television. "When he saw what happened in Jerusalem on TV, he asked me: 'Can I go to join the protests in Net zarim?' I did not dare to answer him. I did not want him to go," said his mother, Amal. Death sought Rami out anyway; the boy was killed as he returned from a shopping trip to Gaza, where he and his father had looked at a used car. In Bourij, where nearly all of the houses have a photograph of the Dome of the Rock, they are calling Rami a martyr for Jerusalem. His mother is afraid to tell her five younger children how he died - in case they fall under the martyr's spell. "Nothing good will come of this. We will have many more martyrs, and nothing will change," she said. And the dead will be even younger than Rami. Among those killed yesterday was a 10-year-old boy, shot dead by Israeli helicopter gunships near a Jewish enclave in the West Bank city of Nablus. Fighting raged too in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Hebron, and in Jerusalem security forces evacuated Jews from their holiest shrine, the Western Wall, because of tension. Most worrying for Mr Barak was the spread of the violence to Israel proper yesterday. In Nazareth, hundreds of masked youths threw stones at Israeli police near the spot where the angel Gabriel is believed to have foretold the birth of Jesus. One Israeli Arab was killed and dozens injured in clashes in the northern town of Umm al-Fahim. Nevertheless, Mr Barak was adamant that it fell to the Palestinian forces - and to Mr Arafat - to end the violence. "Absence of such activity may bring about an escalation," a statement from his office said. He repeated Israel's claim that it only fired on protesters when the lives of soldiers and civilians were endangered. In reply, Mr Arafat demanded that Israel first withdraw its forces from the entrances of Palestinian towns, and stop firing on his people. He threatened to take several "measures" if Israel did not stop the bloodshed in 24 hours, including an appeal to the UN security council. The fighting talk from both men comes despite the personal intervention of President Bill Clinton, who called on both sides to cool tempers.

Sara receives a farewell kiss from her father. The family was on their way to the hospital, when they were caught in Israeli fire. Killed by Israeli settler gunfire to her head while riding with her father in a car

Samer Samir Sudki Tabanja 12 gunfire to his head while watching a demonstration

This is not a 'Long American movie' where the American hero is always in control, using the latest hi-tech arms to kill criminals, and the 'enemy'. This is a live scene from the street of a densely populated city, where more then 1 Million Palestinians spent their whole lives in camps, and under Israeli occupation, the following story is from Gaza City in the Gaza strip , which is sometimes not on the maps of Americans.

It is just the start of the winter in Gaza where children play in the narrow corridors of the camp in the rain. Yes, it is raining, but not water , it's raining bullets, rockets, and Palestinian blood.

The city has been boiling with anger for three days now (as is in all of Palestine) reacting to the provocative visit of Sabra & Shateela terrorist, Ariel Sharon, to holy site of Al-Aqsa mosque, and to the massacre carried out by the Israel army, and police in Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday during prayers, killing and wounding many worshipers. Gaza, where the first Intifada started (1987) , joined from the first day the new Al-Aqsa Intifada, showing their anger, and demanding that the world re-visit the issue of Palestine, and appealing to the Islamic world to protect Al-Aqsa and Al-Qouds ( Jerusalem ) from the Israeli plans to destroy the holy mosque, and replace it with their claimed 'Temple' which was never found, and archeologically proven to have never been there.

Mohammed al-Durah (a 12 years old boy ) , opened his eyes to the news of Al-Aqsa Intifada, dreaming of a chance to participate, there was no school today, as per the general strike role. The loving father took him, as usual, to the market in order to go on with the family's daily life.

Mohammed's destiny took him with his father to Al-Shuhada road, there is no other way home. Did they reach home?

They were ambushed with a heavy rain that was very heavy, and continuous for more then 45 minutes. The rain was coming from one direction toward Mohammed al-Durah and his father, it was raining live red killing bullets from inside a well secured place in Netzarim, an Israeli kibbutzim in Gaza city . The helpless father and his son were shouting at the Israeli killers to stop the shooting, and at the world to help save their lives.

The rain stopped, only after Mohammed took his last breath , and the father couldn't shout for help any more , an ambulance driver lost his live by attempting to rush the boy, and his father to medical care.

The Israeli message to the world was clear, "We will kill any Palestinian alive, regardless of his/her age, sex, armament , if they were protesting or not, throwing stones or not ... we have orders to shoot live ammunition, on any moving body, in head or chest ... shoot to kill ... , that's the order, we will kill also any one who will try, or even consider helping or saving any of our targets ."

What kind of people kill a 12 yr old boy in his father's lap, and even kill a red cross personel for trying to save the boy, and his father from the massacre ?

This story is just one of hundreds which was not told to the world .

Reviewed by : Wa-El Elsin, U.S.A.

This is the news coverage of the story of Mohammed al-Durah

Mohammad al-Durah was shot dead in the arms of his father who was trying to shield him after they became caught under Israeli fire near Netzarim in the Gaza Strip.

This terrifying last moments were captured by French television and shocked the world.

For 45 minutes, Muhammad and his father trying to hid themselves behind a small concrete barrel as bullets rained around them.

Israeli troops had fired relentlessly, even shooting at an ambulance that had tried to rescue Mohammad and his father , ambulance driver ( Bassam al-Balbesi ) was also killed , and a second ambulance driver was wounded.

Eventually both were hit, Mommahad four times and killed on the spot, Jamal al-Durah survived but was also critically wounded and will suffer permanent paralysis in his right hand.

This is the father Jamal el-Durah reaction to the killing of his son.

Quote "I appeal to the entire world, to all those who have seen this crime to act and help me avenge my son's death and to put on trial Israel.

I also plan to take Israel to the international courts and ask that the criminals responsible for the death of my son be punished.

It is the worst nightmare of my life... My son was terrified, he pleaded with me, 'For the love of God protect me, Baba'.

I will never forget these words." Unquote

We will all not forget Mohammed el-Durah

Jews claim that Mohammed al-Dura film a fake

Jewish businessman raises the issue on the pretext that the French channel fake and fabricated video

Muhammad Al-Durrah's father and mother are interviewed in Cairo

29 sept 2000

Nizar Ibrahim a-Shweiqi 18Killed on Temple Mount.

Osamah Muhammad Adam Jadeh 22Killed on Temple Mount.

Bilal 'Ali Khalil 'Afaneh 25Killed on Temple Mount.

Yihya Muhammad Hassan Faraj 35Killed on Temple Mount.

Haitham 'Umran 'Awaida a-Skafi 45Killed on Temple Mount.

5 aug 2000

Muhsen Abudullah Shehada

Amer Mansour Houderi

19 july 2000

Diya' Tmeizi 3 months

Palestinian baby Diya' Tmeizi lies in the morgue of the Hebron hospital before he is buried. The baby became the youngest fatality in the Palestinian uprising.

Jewish extremist group calling itself the committee for security on the roads took responsibility for this barbaric and criminal attack.

7 may 2000

Iman Hajjo4 monthskilled in an Israeli shelling of Khan Yunis.

10 mar 2000

Ahmed Ali Ahmed Alenberasa 21

Participated since the first day in the Al-Aqsa Intifada until he fell a martyr on in Nablus after being hit by a bullet in the chest.

Israeli security forces yesterday bulldozed a ramshackle house in an Arab town at the end of a day of drama that began with a shoot-out and explosion which killed two suspected Hamas guerrillas, and extended into a lengthy police siege of their hideout. Police later confirmed that another body was found inside the house.

Israel Radio said the men belonged to a cell that was using Taibeh in central Israel as a base for a bomb attack within the next few days.

Although yesterday's events unfolded without greater bloodshed - apart from an Israeli policemen who was wounded in the shoot-out and had a foot amputated - their timing was significant. In recent weeks, there has been growing anticipation of a terror attack, along with predictions that Palestinian frustration with the blocked peace process could end in violence.

Security officials have issued repeated warnings of plans by Izzadin Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, to set off bombs or to kidnap soldiers. They also expect a big increase in violent protests, stone throwing and petrol bomb attacks after a visit by the Pope at the end of the month.

So far, none of the perceived threats has caused loss of Israeli life. But last week security officials announced the arrest of some 60 Hamas activists in connection with a plot to blow up a building in Jerusalem.

Israel's deputy defence minister, Ephraim Sneh, said the men killed yesterday also belonged to Hamas.

"They intended to lay explosives in the centre of one of the Israeli towns and to inflict very heavy casualties," he said. However, the Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, denied any knowledge of the plan.

According to Taibeh's mayor, Issam Masarwa, the Hamas cell had rented the ground floor of the white two-storey house on Wednesday. Within hours, Israeli intelligence agents were on their trail, and commandos surrounded the building. Mr Sneh said the forces were acting on information from their counterparts in the Palestinian Authority.

At 4.30am, the security forces used a megaphone to order the men to leave the house, according to a police spokeswoman, Sivan Kedmi. One man surrendered, but one of his comrades opened fire. A suitcase packed with explosives was detonated in the shootout that followed, killing two men.

Commandos then sent a sniffer dog into the house to test for further explosives. After the dog died in an explosion, they sent in a robot to search for bombs.

For several tense hours, the security forces encircled the building. Commandos stood on the roofs of homes in the tightly-packed area around the house, and a helicopter hov ered above. Schools were closed, and residents were ordered to stay inside.

In the late afternoon, when the bulldozers moved in to tear down the walls of the house, and uncover any more explosives, a third body was found in the ruins. Police could not confirm reports that yet another body was still in the house.

According to security officials, Hamas had been planning a spectacular attack to demonstrate that it was still active after the arrests last month, which were believed to be connected to a plot to blow up a 12-storey building in Jerusalem and two buses in the resort of Netanya. Some of those arrested reportedly confessed to a spate of bomb attacks last year.

As was the case in Taibeh yesterday, the crackdown was the result of cooperation with Palestinian intelligence services. Such joint efforts are widely believed to have blunted the force of Hamas attacks in recent months.

But in a recent interview, Sheikh Yassin denied that the organisation was a spent force.

"We never stopped armed resistance. It is always there, and will remain the strategy of the movement," he said. "The security coordination between the Americans, the Palestinians and the Israelis makes it more difficult for armed resistance. But when people are frustrated, when people have lost everything, anything can happen."

2 mar 2000

Ubay Darraj 9

Ubay was killed while he was playing in his bedroom, under the protection of his 'home'. Ubay was hit in the chest by heavy machinegun bullets fired from Israeli army posts guarding the outskirts of Psagot settlement near Al-Bireh; he was dead upon arrival at Ramallah hospital.